Content Filtering in School Manager is both powerful and flexible. This article covers how to use Categories, Signatures, and Time Periods to create filtering Policies (commonly referred to as "rules"). You can combine your basic filtering rules with Time Periods to create more advanced filtering rules.

Beginner Topics

Understanding Categories, Signatures, and Time Periods

Categories play an important part in how School Manager filters the internet at your school. You can customize content filtering Policies by combining Categories. We regularly update the Categories. You can ask Linewize Support to send you a PDF of the current Categories you are interested in.

Categories

A filtering Category is a group of related websites, online content patterns, and applications. Not all sites and applications have a Category. Categories are usually created for very popular sources of online activities.

Categories can contain subcategories, individual websites, and “Signatures”. When you apply a Content Filtering Policy to a Category, all the websites in the Category will be affected by the rule, including websites published in the future.

Categories can have subcategories. Subcategories break the upper-level category down into more specific topics to give you finer control over what you’re allowing or blocking. If you apply a rule to a subcategory, it will only apply to content in that subcategory. However, if you create a rule that applies to the upper category, it will apply to all of its subcategories unless you create another rule to stop it from applying to them.

In the above example, Gaming and Video Games are a Category and Subcategory.

Signatures

A Signature is a pattern identifying a website, type of web content or online application. Not all sites and applications have a Signature. Signatures are usually only created for very popular sites and applications often using multiple domains and subdomains. Every Signature will be part of a Category.

In the above example, Minecraft and Minecraft Education are Signatures. Minecraft games can be run on multiple domains, so the rule will match the Minecraft patterns to block or allow access. This ensures current and future customized versions of Minecraft will also be managed by the same rule.

Time Periods

Time Periods are a type of School Manager Object used to group custom information for use in filtering. Use the Time Periods to define special times of day or days of the week. For example, you can create a Time Period to block access to a site during class time and add another rule to allow access to the site during recess and lunch.

Allow a single category

Filtering at the beginner level involves using categories to allow websites and applications for all your users. This filtering type is useful if you want to allow access to all users at all times of the day.

1. In School Manager, select Filtering > Content Filtering.
   You will see your current Content Filtering Policies.
2. To add a new rule, select + Create Policy.
3. Enter a descriptive Name, such as "Allow - Minecraft Education - All Students".
4. In Type, enter "Minecraft", then select the Minecraft Education from the dropdown.
5. Select Accept in Action.
6. Select Locked Rule, if you:
   
   • Already have a Locked Blocked policy for the upper-level Category (Gaming) or subcategory (Video Games) in this example.
   • Do not want teachers to override the policy in Classwize.

7. Select Save Policy.

Intermediate Topics

Allow a category only during a specific time

Filtering at an intermediate level involves using Categories to allow websites and applications, plus adding a Time Period to restrict its operation to specific hours for all users. This filtering type is useful if you want to allow access to all users during a specific time of the day.

Set a Time Period

1. In School Manager, select Configuration > Objects > Time Periods.

   Note

   If a Time Period for school hours already exists, skip to the next steps.

2. Select Add Time Period.
3. Enter a name, like "School Hours" and select Add.
4. Select the school Days using the checkboxes. You can select one day or multiple days.
5. Select Save.

Create a filtering policy

1. In School Manager, select Filtering > Content Filtering. You will see your current Content Filtering Policies.
2. Select + Create Policy.
3. Enter a descriptive rule name, such as "Allow - Minecraft Education - All Students (School Hours)".
4. In Type, enter "Minecraft" and select Minecraft Education from Website/Category.
5. In Criteria, select Time Periods. 
6. In the new Select Time Periods dropdown, select your School Hours.
7. In Action, select Accept.
8. Select Locked Rule, if you:
   • Already have a Locked Blocked Policy for the main category (for example, Gaming) or subcategory (for example, Video Games).
   • Do not want teachers to override the policy in Classwize. 
9. Select Save Policy.

Allow a category but block other websites in the parent category

Another intermediate level filtering involves using two filtering rules that allow a category but block all other websites in the parent category. To allow specific websites, put subcategory policies before the main category policy.

For example, to allow the Minecraft Education while blocking the Gaming category, you need to create two rules:

1. Allow Minecraft Education
2. Block Gaming

The Allow Minecraft Education rule must be listed before the Block Gaming rule.

Advanced Topics

Allow a category during different times of the day

Filtering at an advanced level involves using Categories to block websites and applications, plus multiple Time Periods to limit its operation to set periods throughout the day for all your users. This filtering type is useful if you want to allow all users access during specific times, such as recess, lunch or outside school hours.

Configure a Time Period

1. Select Configuration > Objects > Time Periods.

   Note

   If Time Periods for class times, recess and lunch times and outside school hours already exist, skip to the next steps.

2. Select Add Time Period.
3. Enter a name, such as "Before School" and select Add.
4. Select the school Days using the checkboxes. You can select one day or multiple days.
5. Select Save.
6. Repeat steps 2 - 5 for other Time Periods, such as Morning Class, Lunch, Afternoon Class, and After School.

Create a Policy

1. In School Manager, select Filtering > Content Filtering. You will see your current Content Filtering Policies.
2. Select + Create Policy.
3. Enter a descriptive name for the new rule, like "Allow - Minecraft Education - All (Before School)".
4. In Type, enter "Minecraft" and select the Minecraft Education category from the Website/Category dropdown.
5. In Criteria, select Time Period to display the field.
6. In the new Time Period field, start typing the name of your time period and select it. In this example, select the Before School time period.
7. In Action, select Allow.
8. Select Locked Rule, if you:
   • Already have a Locked Blocked policy for the main category (Gaming) or subcategory (Video Games).
   • Do not want teachers to override the policy in Classwize. 
9. Select Save Policy.
10. Repeat these steps if you would like to allow access during other free-time periods, like Lunch Time or After School.

Expert Topics

Allow select users or groups

Filtering at an expert level involves using Categories to allow websites and applications, plus using User or Group criteria to limit its operation to specific users or groups.

For example, to allow select users or groups access to Minecraft, you would create an Allow Minecraft rule that uses the rule Users or Groups criteria.

For information on adding or managing Users and Groups in School Manager, see

• Adding and Editing Users in School Manager
• Adding and Managing Groups

Create a filter rule that allows a specific user:

Create a filter rule that allows a specific group:

Contact Linewize Support for assistance with complex filtering scenarios. We are here to help you.